In the area of printing devices and paper feed mechanisms in business machines, the matrix type printer has evolved for reasons of compact design and fast operation long with the continued need for more than one type of transaction to be performed by the machine. In a number of business machines, a receipt is printed and is provided for the customer, an audit or journal is printed for retaining a permanent record on a spool or core within the machine, and printing may also be provided on a slip or document which may be either returned to the customer or retained by the machine operator. The business machines may be designed with a plurality of printing stations, each with its associated printing device, or one printing device may accommodate two or more printing stations by travel thereof across the several stations.
In the operation of the machine, the paper is incrementally driven or fed into position for the desired printing and then advanced to the next or succeeding line. In the case of the receipt station, the paper roll is inserted into the machine and as each receipt transaction is completed, a portion of the paper in the form of a receipt is handed to the customer. In the case of the journal or audit station, the paper roll is likewise inserted into the macine and as the paper is moved or advanced across the journal printing station, it is caused to be rewound on a spool or core to retain a record of the transactions in the machine. It is the journal drive and roll assembly to which the present invention is directed. Representative of an assembly for spooling an audit trail in a data terminal is the showing in Savage et al. U.S. Pat. 3,834,638, wherein an audit trail is spooled by the paper traveling from a supply roll across a cover and around a roller to be wound on a spool positioned in a slot, there being a movable drive belt directly engageable with the paper to rotate the paper and the spool, and which is spring loaded in one direction and swingable away from the spool as the paper on the spool increases in diameter.